Dominion Through Business

Part 1: The Theology

A. Introduction: Redeeming Work through Enterprise

There is nothing neutral about starting a business.

Every spreadsheet, service rendered, and invoice issued either serves the Kingdom of Christ or works against it. Christians who enter the marketplace without understanding this are in danger of building an altar to an unknown god, pouring their energy and time into something fundamentally secular.

In too many Christian circles, business is tolerated as a necessary evil rather than embraced as a valid form of dominion. For some, profit is suspicious. For others, “ministry” is the only truly God-glorifying pursuit. Scripture does not permit such bifurcation. The sacred/secular divide is a theological fiction, not a biblical category. The right teleology of the City of Man is to be a vassal state of the City of God. Dominion done rightly places all things as a footstool for Christ's feet in this present age, not just in the eschaton. While our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, the purpose of our lives is actually work. As David Bahnsen showed in his book Full-Time, "[God] connected our identity to our work. He established our telos—our purpose—as cultivators of creation. He called for a flourishing garden—a productive and beautiful place where our work does important things."

A biblical theology of work demands more than just personal piety or ethical conduct within a given office. It requires a reordering of purpose. Work is not primarily a means of self-actualization. It is a God-ordained mechanism of provision, productivity, and stewardship (Genesis 2:15; Ephesians 4:28). Starting a business, then, is not merely a financial decision. It is a vocational one—a concrete application of the dominion mandate within the sphere of the marketplace; the decision to provide a good or service to fill a need, not just to turn a profit.

I have written this article for Reformed Christians who sense that vocational entrepreneurship may be a fitting outworking of their calling but lack the clarity, theological framework, or legal understanding to begin. My aim is not to romanticize risk-taking or baptize hustle culture. Rather, to provide a sober, strategic, and distinctly biblical approach to launching a business that honors Christ.

We will begin by establishing a theological foundation for enterprise. Then we will walk through the practical steps necessary to start a compliant, scalable, and principled business. At each stage, we will examine not only what can be done, but what ought to be done by those who bear the name of Christ.

If God has entrusted you with a vision to create, build, or serve others through business, your responsibility is not to delay in fear or act in ignorance. It is to prepare, plan, and proceed in faith.

Let us begin there.

B. Theological Foundation: The Marketplace Is Not Mammon’s Domain

The Christian view of work and enterprise cannot be borrowed from Wall Street mantras or baptize the assumptions of Enlightenment individualism. Our framework begins in the soil of Genesis and finds its fulfillment in the person of Christ, who is Lord not only of pulpits and sacraments, but of shop floors and balance sheets.

Remember, business is not morally neutral. It is a means of either exercising faithful dominion under Christ or participating in idolatrous autonomy. One cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Since Christ is Lord, the economy is His. The marketplace does not belong to Mammon—it has been surrendered to Him. Adam Smith's Invisible Hand is the same one that upholds the universe.

Dominion Is a Command, Not a Suggestion

Genesis 1:28 is not an Old Testament relic, but a standing commission. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion...” The Fall did not repeal this command, though it did make its fulfillment more painful (Genesis 3:17–19). The dominion mandate, therefore, is not limited to raising children or cultivating gardens. It includes every lawful, productive activity that brings order, provision, and blessing to others.

As R.J. Rushdoony wrote, “The calling of man is to be a priest, prophet, and king under God. This means ruling as God's vicegerent under God's law.” The entrepreneur, rightly ordered, fulfills this office in the marketplace, not as a lone actor seeking personal gain, but as one laboring for the benefit of others under the rule of God.

Enterprise, at its best, is a structured extension of dominion. It applies time, capital, and labor toward the creation of value. This is not sin—it is stewardship. The creation of wealth is a moral good, even more so when done by righteous hands through righteous means.

The Fifth Commandment and Economic Continuity

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long...” (Exodus 20:12). While often relegated to individual behavior, this command contains within it a mandate for economic continuity. The family is the basic unit of economy, and obedience to the fifth commandment includes both provision for one’s household and the transmission of economic stability to the next generation.

In that light, entrepreneurship becomes a means of intergenerational faithfulness. Scripture commends the man who “leaves an inheritance to his children's children” (Proverbs 13:22). That inheritance is not limited to silver, livestock, and land; it includes systems, skills, networks, and reputation—all of which can be cultivated through enterprise.

The modern state has attempted to replace the economic role of the family with welfare and wage-dependency. The biblical response is not retreat, but reconstruction. Faithful business-building reclaims this ground by restoring the family as a productive, provisionary institution.

The False Piety of Market Suspicion

In our experience working with Reformed believers, one of the most frequent hindrances to starting a business is a deeply embedded suspicion of money, markets, and profit. While this may spring from a healthy desire to avoid worldliness, it often results in an unhealthy Gnosticism—treating the physical world as a contaminant and the spiritual world as the only arena worthy of pursuit.

This is not biblical piety. Scripture consistently affirms the goodness of material provision and the dignity of labor. The merchant is not rebuked for engaging in commerce but for using unjust scales (Proverbs 11:1). The rich are not commanded to become poor, but to be “rich in good works... generous and ready to share” (1 Timothy 6:18).

Work itself is good. Another quote from David Bahnsen's Full-Time, “Work was not valuable because it enabled you to do valuable things. Work was the valuable thing.” The Reformed tradition has historically championed this view, recognizing that all lawful vocations can and must be done “as unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23).

The antidote to greed is not asceticism but obedience. To reject business on the grounds that it might make one wealthy is like rejecting marriage because it might lead to children. Fruitfulness is not the enemy of faithfulness—barrenness is.

The Antithesis in the Marketplace

As I have said before, there is no neutral ground. The doctrine of the antithesis, recovered and clarified by Van Til and the Reconstructionist tradition in general, teaches that all thought and action are either covenantally obedient or rebellious. This extends to the marketplace.

A coffee shop is not just a coffee shop. A logistics company is not just a logistics company. Every business embodies a theology, whether it admits it or not. It answers questions: What is man? What is value? What is time for? Who owns this world? When a Christian fails to answer these questions biblically in his enterprise, he allows falsehoods to govern by default.

It is not enough to put a Bible verse in the footer of your website. Christ must be Lord over hiring practices, vendor agreements, pricing models, marketing strategies, and customer service. Bringing every thought captive includes your business thoughts. Scripture is sufficient and speaks to every area of life from matters of faith to business practices.

This does not mean your company must only serve Christians. It would be a stretch to assume that Paul only made tents for the church. It means your standards, your ethics, your strategy, and your stewardship are held captive to Christ. While unbelievers occasionally end up reverse engineering good and moral business practices since they cannot escape God's economy functioning God's way in God's universe, you have a perfect standard and a renewed mind. You have every advantage.

If you will not take the marketplace captive to obey Christ, someone else will take it captive to obey Mammon for a time. The wealth the unrighteous create is stored up for the righteous, but it is better that the righteous create it in the first place.

C. Counting the Cost: Self-Assessment Before Launching

Christ warned would-be disciples to count the cost before building a tower or going to war (Luke 14:28–33). That principle applies just as much to launching a business as it does to ministry or mission work. A business is not a casual experiment. It is a public commitment to serve others, render honest value, and take responsibility for outcomes, whether profit or loss.

Too often, we see Christians launch enterprises on sentiment rather than sobriety. A clever idea, a sudden frustration with their employer, or the temptation of perceived freedom becomes the catalyst and suddenly a business idea is born. That can be a good thing, but the Reformed understanding of vocation demands preparation. God is not honored by ventures built on presumption or pride. Business is a form of dominion—but dominion is an intentional and often slow process, not something to be taken on lightly or flippantly.

Before filing for an LLC or designing a logo, you must assess at least these three things: your internal readiness, the stability of your household, and the clarity of your mission.

Internal Readiness: Are You Governed Enough to Govern Others?

Entrepreneurs are not first and foremost creators of products. They are builders of systems and stewards of risk. Starting a business means choosing uncertainty, exposure, and responsibility in exchange for the opportunity to serve and produce freely. Not everyone is called to this. That does not make one lesser in the Kingdom, it simply means that entrepreneurship, like eldership, requires qualification.

Ask yourself the following, prayerfully and honestly:

• Am I disciplined in the areas I need to succeed, even where no one is watching?

If you cannot govern your time, money, and habits, adding complexity will magnify chaos, not cure it.

• Can I persevere through seasons of obscurity and low return?

Businesses basically never flourish in the first quarter. Often not even in the first two years.

• Do I have a theological understanding of my work?

Those who see business as mere pragmatism rarely endure. You must believe your work matters to God.

• Am I teachable, correctable, and accountable?

You will make costly mistakes. If you cannot be corrected without bristling, entrepreneurship will humble you.

In our firm’s experience, those who fail at business rarely do so from lack of intelligence, creativity, or even access to capital. They fail because they underestimate the amount of grit, time, effort, and money it actually takes to get a business off the ground.

Household Readiness: Is Your House in Order?

The Reformers understood the household as the first economy, the oikonomia, from which the modern concept of economics derives. To establish a public enterprise while neglecting your private one is a violation of biblical order. You must work concentrically outward. You must be a man who has a surplus after rightly and abundantly serving your family before you can serve the market.

Paul makes clear that a man who does not provide for his household “is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). He also connects household governance to qualifications for spiritual leadership (1 Timothy 3:4–5). In other words, if your wife and children are overwhelmed, unprotected, or under-resourced, it is not time to launch a startup. It is time to repent, rebuild, and wait.

Here are the factors we recommend evaluating:

• Spousal Alignment

In our practice, misaligned expectations between spouses have caused more business failures than poor marketing ever has. You may be called to build, but your wife may not be called to suffer for it. Talk openly. Pray together. Write out expectations. Have a deadline for success.

• Cash Reserves

Your household budget should include startup costs, marketing runway, and a buffer for the unexpected (think of a ridiculous budget for this and double it.). In hindsight, we should have maintained at least 9 months of personal expenses in reserve before taking any capital risks. There were several very lean months I ended up having to endure when we first started out.

• Time Constraints

Entrepreneurship is not 9 to 5. Especially in the first year, it is often your 5 to 9. If your household rhythm is fragile, business stress can fracture it completely. Be in charge of your calendar, and let your calendar be in charge of you.

Your household is not your startup's investor. They are your primary stewardship. Do not claim to be building for them while building on top of them.

Mission Clarity: Who Are You Serving and Why?

A biblical business does not begin with “What do I like doing?” but rather with “Whom has God equipped me to serve, and how can I, in particular, bless them?”

Your audience is not the person who validates your sense of identity. It is the person whose problem you are uniquely positioned to solve. In business speak, this is your "avatar" who you will market toward.

Write out your answers to the following before you get started:

• Who is my audience?

• What result or benefit do I help them achieve?

• What experience, knowledge, or resources give me the ability to do this lawfully, ethically and effectively?

• Why does this matter for the Kingdom of Christ?

In our experience, the most effective Christian entrepreneurs are those who see themselves as servants, not saviors. They do not begin with branding. They begin with burdens. They ask, “What is broken? What is missing? What is needed?” and then proceed to build a solution for that burden with humility and focus.

A Reformed business is not a self-expression vehicle. It is a tool for provision, service, and long-term impact.

A Final Word Before You Begin

If after assessing your character, your household, and your mission, you remain convinced that starting a business is both lawful and wise, then proceed, but proceed with fear and trembling. Not the kind that produces cowardice, but the kind that recognizes the weight of the task and what is at stake if you fail.

Business is not play. It is covenantal labor. You will make promises, enter contracts, collect payment, and represent Christ in each of those transactions. That is no light thing.

Neither is it a burden you carry alone. If God has called you to this, He will supply the wisdom, patience, and discipline needed to walk it out. Count the cost, and then—if wise—build your tower to the glory of God.

Part 2: The How

A. Choosing a Business Model and Legal Structure

Once the call to build is clear and the cost has been counted, the next task is choosing the vessel in which your work will travel. A biblical builder does not start with aesthetics but with the foundation. This section is not about colors and logos. It is about legal formation, liability protection, and laying down rails on which your enterprise can run lawfully and effectively.

There is no universally “Christian” business structure, but there are structures that serve the Christian’s goals more faithfully than others depending on the situation. Our aim here is not to render legal advice, but to provide clarity on the kinds of questions we needed to ask in our own process, and which we now encourage clients to ask themselves.

Entity Types: Form Follows Function

Every business is a legal person in the eyes of the state. The question is: what kind? The answer will affect how you pay taxes, how you can be sued, and how you grow. Each structure has its advantages and liabilities. None are inherently immoral, but some are ill-fitted for certain purposes.

Here is a simplified summary of the most common entity types used by small business owners in the United States:

Sole Proprietorship

What it is: You, doing business under your own name or a “doing business as” (DBA) name.

Pros: Simple to start, no separate filings.

Cons: No liability protection. You and the business are the same legal entity.

In our experience, this model works best for side income or low-risk ventures. However, we often advise clients to consider more advanced options if they are serious about long-term growth or handling client data, potential lawsuits, large quantities of physical products, or contractual obligations.

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

What it is: A legal entity separate from you, offering personal liability protection.

Pros: Flexible tax treatment, ease of administration, liability shielding.

Cons: State-specific rules and fees. Must maintain separation between personal and business finances.

This is the route I took when forming my first business. It offered the flexibility I needed early on, and the liability protection gave my household peace of mind. I elected to be taxed as an S-Corp (more on that below), which allowed me to optimize income for both payroll and distribution once revenue stabilized.

S-Corporation (S-Corp)

What it is: A tax election (not a legal structure) that allows profits to “pass through” to the owner’s personal return, avoiding double taxation.

Pros: Can reduce self-employment taxes if properly structured.

Cons: More compliance requirements. Must pay yourself a “reasonable salary.”

Starting as an LLC, then electing S-Corp status with the IRS once the income justified formal payroll and retained earnings. For those considering this, we recommend consulting a local CPA or attorney familiar with your state’s requirements.

C-Corporation

What it is: A separate taxable entity. Profits are taxed at the corporate level, then again when distributed to shareholders.

Pros: Attracts outside investors, can issue multiple classes of shares.

Cons: Double taxation, higher administrative burden.

We rarely see C-Corps recommended for solo or family-run enterprises unless the business intends to pursue venture capital or public offerings. In our view, they are better suited for tech startups, business ventures intended for sale in the short term, or large-scale enterprises requiring significant outside capital.

Legal and Ethical Compliance: Render Unto Caesar, and File on Time

Romans 13 reminds us that governing authorities are ministers of God. Filing for a business license, paying state taxes or remitting sales tax are not all necessarily Caesar overstepping—it is part of living as a lawful, public witness. Business formation is not a game of legal arbitrage. It is a process of submitting your economic life to scrutiny and order.

A few basic steps we have seen recommended:

• Register your entity with your Secretary of State (or equivalent) and maintain good standing annually.

• Obtain an EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the IRS for tax reporting purposes, even if you have no employees yet.

• Open a separate bank account for your business.

Scripture condemns dishonest weights and measures (Proverbs 20:10). Mixing personal and business funds confuses stewardship and complicates accountability.

• Check for local license requirements, zoning restrictions, and sales tax nexus rules. Just because you are online does not mean you are exempt.

In our own formation, we used a registered agent service to simplify state compliance.

Christ is Lord of your P&L, but the magistrate still bears the sword and the authority to tax. Honor both in their proper place.

Intellectual Property and Name Protections

We have counseled numerous entrepreneurs who built under a name or brand they had not legally secured. Months later, they were forced to rebrand because a larger or earlier company had already claimed it. That is not just frustrating. It is poor stewardship. For a recent example, see Steadfast Cigars.

Here are steps we recommend early in the process:

• Search the USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) for existing trademarks before choosing a business name.

• Buy your domain name and social handles before publicizing your brand.

• Register a state or federal trademark if your name, logo, or slogan has unique commercial significance.

Registering a trademark for your business name and logo once you see consistent growth and public recognition is probably a good idea. The process is not cheap, but it protects the fruit of your labor and avoids future conflict.

The Ninth Commandment forbids bearing false witness. That includes misrepresenting ownership, copying others’ work, or squatting on brand equity. Build with integrity.

Choose the Structure That Serves the Mission

You are not choosing a structure to impress investors or signal sophistication. You are choosing the right container for your calling. It should protect your household, simplify your tax obligations, and allow you to grow responsibly.

Ask yourself:

• Do I need liability protection?

• Will I have employees or contractors?

• Do I plan to take on outside investment?

• Will I be selling physical products, digital services, or both?

• Do I want to reinvest profits or extract them?

There is no universal answer. What we’ve seen in our firm is that most Reformed entrepreneurs benefit from starting with an LLC and moving toward more advanced structures once revenue, complexity, and stewardship responsibility grow.

Don’t overengineer. But don’t underprepare either.

B. Taxation and Financial Systems for the Christian Entrepreneur

Of all the operational issues that sink early-stage businesses, taxes and financial systems are near the top of the list. It is not because the numbers are difficult—though they can be. It is because most entrepreneurs delay, downplay, or delegate these responsibilities before they understand them. Worse, many Christians treat these obligations as mere “Caesar business,” irrelevant to spiritual life.

They are not. Scripture speaks directly to the ethics of taxation, record-keeping, and stewardship. A biblical business cannot honor Christ while ignoring Caesar’s lawful expectations or violating internal order. Reformed theology requires us to do better. Christ is Lord over business, so spreadsheets matter.

This section is not an exhaustive tax guide, nor are we licensed to give tax advice. This it is a framework for faithful financial practice—built on biblical principles, seasoned with practical experience, and focused on protecting both your household and your witness. Please consult a CPA, EA, accountant, or bookkeeper for specific advice for your situation.

Self-Employment Tax: Know What You Owe

The moment you earn a dollar as a business owner, the IRS considers you self-employed. That means you are now both employer and employee, responsible for the full share of Social Security and Medicare taxes. This adds up to roughly 15.3% on top of your federal and state income tax.

When we first launched, this caught me by surprise. I had heard about “write-offs” and “small business advantages,” but no one explained the reality of self-employment tax until our first filing. The sticker shock was very real for me, but Justin was already prepared.

Once revenue stabilized, we elected S-Corp status and paid ourselves a reasonable salary to split payroll taxes between employer and employee. That move must be executed carefully and legally, so we brought in a EA before making any changes.

A good rule of thumb: if you are not sure how your income is being taxed, assume you are underpaying—assuming the opposite carries steep consequences.

Quarterly Payments: Pay Caesar in Installments

The IRS requires self-employed individuals to pay taxes quarterly if they expect to owe more than $1,000 in federal income tax. These estimated payments are not just optional. They are scheduled obedience.

You can file these online through the IRS’s EFTPS system or via paper voucher. States have their own processes, so you will need to check with your local Department of Revenue.

In our experience, the biggest obstacle to making quarterly payments has not been a lack of cash—it was always poor planning. We now recommend clients schedule reminders or set up auto-debits where possible. These “small hinges” prevent large tax-time disasters.

Bookkeeping: God Is Not the Author of Confusion

The Apostle Paul rebuked the Corinthians for their chaotic worship services. It is not a stretch to say that many Christians run their business finances like a Corinthian liturgy—disorderly, undocumented, and defensively spiritual.

Faithful bookkeeping is an act of dominion. It allows you to steward resources with clarity, measure fruitfulness, correct inefficiencies, and remain above reproach. If the world audits you, they should find nothing crooked or confusing.

We recommend:

• Opening a dedicated business bank account before earning your first dollar.

• Using accounting software like QuickBooks, Xero, or Wave (if budget is tight).

• Tracking all income and expenses from day one.

• Reconciling accounts monthly, not just at tax time.

We hired an EA as soon as we could afford it. Prior to that, we logged every transaction in Google Sheets and reviewed our statements weekly. This habit created a dashboard of truth—a mirror that could not be ignored.

Do not spiritualize sloppiness. The same God who counts hairs on heads honors integrity in ledger lines.

Deductible Expenses: Stewardship, Not Scams

You will hear a thousand opinions on what counts as a legitimate business expense. Some are lawful. Others are wishful thinking. A Christian entrepreneur must resist the temptation to blur lines for the sake of comfort or cash flow.

Common deductible expenses include:

• Office rent or home office percentage

• Software, subscriptions, and supplies

• Professional services (legal, accounting, consulting)

• Marketing, advertising, and promotional materials

• Business meals (50% deduction), travel, and continuing education

In my experience, the safest approach is this: if the expense would not exist without the business, it is likely deductible. If it would exist anyway (your family’s Disney trip, for instance), tread carefully. The IRS is not omniscient—but they are persistent.

When in doubt, ask: would I be comfortable explaining this to both my pastor and an auditor? If the answer is “no,” it is likely not worth the deduction.

Lawful Avoidance vs. Unrighteous Evasion

Scripture does not condemn avoiding taxes lawfully. Christ Himself made use of a miracle to cover the temple tax without betraying His Father’s sovereignty (Matthew 17:24–27). Paul claimed Roman citizenship to avoid unjust treatment. The same Scripture calls tax evasion what it is: theft.

Romans 13:6 says we “pay taxes for the authorities are ministers of God.” That may chafe modern libertarian sensibilities, but it is inspired text. The issue is not whether government waste exists—it does. The issue is whether rebellion cloaked as piety serves Christ. It does not.

What we advise our clients is to pay what is owed, avoid what can lawfully be avoided, and keep detailed records. We do not build Kingdom businesses by skimming. We build them by stewarding.

Building a Financial Dashboard for Dominion

You cannot rule what you cannot measure. A financial dashboard is a tool of lordship. It gives you real-time insight into your business’s health, highlights problem areas, and clarifies decisions.

A simple monthly dashboard might include:

• Gross revenue

• Net profit

• Expense categories (marketing, operations, payroll)

• Owner’s draw vs. retained earnings

• Cash reserve status

Early on we used a Google Sheet dashboard that I manually entered every commission, payment, and expense on. Even basic visibility, consistently reviewed, gave us the edge that most entrepreneurs—Christian or not—lack.

Remember: you are not managing money. You are managing mission. The money just funds it.

A Final Word on Honesty and Accountability

No amount of systems will sanctify a dishonest heart. The purpose of financial order is not to flex your intelligence or satisfy Caesar. It is to walk in the light.

We have counseled entrepreneurs who tithed publicly and filed privately under falsehood. Others who kept immaculate spreadsheets but treated vendors with contempt. That is not Christian business—it is pharisaical theater.

“Whoever is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16:10). The way you handle $200 invoices reflects the way you’ll handle $2 million contracts. The pattern of honesty begins now.

C. Marketing That Honors Christ and Connects with Customers

Marketing is not manipulation. At its root, it is the lawful act of telling the truth loudly and consistently. When done rightly, marketing is neither self-aggrandizing nor deceptive. It is a form of communication, a public invitation to receive the fruit of your labor.

Yet many Christians, especially in Reformed circles, shrink back from marketing. Some view it as worldly, others as vain, and some simply lack a framework for doing it ethically. As a result, they either hide their business under a basket or mimic secular trends with a Bible verse taped on top. Neither approach will do.

Since Christ is Lord, our message—like our product—should be clear, excellent, and driven by service. Marketing, then, is not a necessary evil. It is a tool of dominion, just like a ledger, a contract, or a saw. Like any tool, its moral character depends on the one who wields it.

Rejecting False Modesty: Hiding Your Work Is Not Humility

The Scriptures condemn pride, not promotion. False humility keeps many Christian businesses invisible, ineffective, and impoverished. We are not called to whisper our services while the wicked shout theirs.

When God grants skill or vision, the faithful response is not retreat but bold proclamation. Consider the Proverbs 31 woman: “Her merchandise is good... she perceives that her profit is profitable” (Proverbs 31:18, paraphrased). She knew her worth and did not blush to distribute it.

In our firm’s early stages, we found ourselves hesitating to “market” because we feared it might seem self-serving, and we would receive accusations of "fleecing the Church". The result was predictable: people who needed our help could not find us. When we reframed marketing as hospitality—inviting others into a solution—we gained both clarity and courage.

You are not selling yourself. You are offering lawful, useful labor in the service of others. If that is done with excellence, it should be declared with confidence and as loudly as you can.

Branding as Applied Theology

Your brand is not just your logo, your colors, or font. It is the reputation your business builds in the mind of others. In that sense, branding is theology applied—an expression of what you believe about God, man, work, and the purpose of business.

Ask yourself:

• Do your visuals reflect order, clarity, and consistency?

• Does your tone communicate truthfulness, humility, and competence?

• Do your promises align with your actual delivery?

In our experience, the best brands among Christian businesses are not the flashiest. They are the most aligned. Their message matches their methods. Their design matches their depth. Their posture matches their principles. Having a logo that isn't designed on MS Paint certainly helps though.

We focused on message clarity—not gimmicks, trends, or over-polished aesthetics. A coherent brand builds trust. A scattered one confuses the market and erodes confidence.

Channels: How to Be Found without Selling Your Soul

Marketing is a megaphone. The question is: which direction is it pointing, and what are you saying?

Here are common channels Christian entrepreneurs might consider:

• Content Marketing: Write, speak, or teach what you know. This is especially effective for high-trust, high-value services (consulting, legal, finance).

• Social Media: Pick one platform and master it. Do not attempt to be omnipresent if you cannot be consistent.

• Email Lists: Build an owned audience. Platforms change. Inboxes stay.

• Local Presence: Sponsor church events, local schools, or community activities. Dominion is often won block by block.

• Word of Mouth: Ask for referrals explicitly. Serve well enough that people want to give them.

What we’ve seen work repeatedly in our consulting work is a combination of clear public teaching and relational trust-building. The world sells with pressure. We serve with clarity. If our offer is lawful, helpful, and well-timed, you will have no need for manipulation.

The goal is not reach for its own sake. It is reach so that you may help more people with what you offer.

Building Trust in a Distrustful World

Customers are not fools. They are often skeptical, weary, and over-marketed. This is why trust is now the most valuable currency in commerce—and why Christians ought to lead in cultivating it.

Here is what builds trust:

• Clear communication

  
  

• Reliable follow-through

  
  

• Honesty about limitations

  
  

• Consistent presence

Here is what destroys it:

• Overpromising and underdelivering

  
  

• Vague offers

  
  

• Irregular contact

  
  

• Silence in conflict

We tell our clients this regularly: Trust cannot be “hacked.” It is cultivated over time through a pattern of integrity.

When we first launched, our growth came almost entirely from referrals, Facebook shares of my memes, and small podcast appearances. Why? Because we had no ad budget, but we had receipts—real clients, real results, and a clear mission. Marketing was simply the megaphone for that testimony.

Do not chase tactics. Build trust.

Truth-Telling as Competitive Advantage

The Ninth Commandment applies to your marketing. If your offer, testimonial, or headline bears false witness about what you provide, you are not clever, you are in sin.

In a world of inflated guarantees and half-truths, simple honesty is powerful. Say what you do, do what you say, and let time prove your value. You may not grow as fast, but you will grow strong.

D. Funding the Venture Without Selling Your Soul

Christian entrepreneurs are often caught between two extremes: those who rush to fund their business with high-interest loans and those who wear self-capitalization as a badge of spiritual superiority. Neither posture is inherently righteous. The issue at the heart of the matter is not whether outside funding is used, but whether it is stewarded well.

Scripture neither mandates nor prohibits borrowing categorically. Rather, it presents debt as a form of economic servitude (Proverbs 22:7) that can be lawful, but never ultimate. When approached with prudence, accountability, and covenantal clarity, capital can serve dominion. When used presumptuously, it undermines both mission and household.

Debt: Not Always Sinful, But Requiring Wisdom

The modern credit system makes starting a business deceptively easy—and can make ending one devastatingly expensive. Business credit cards, equipment loans, and personal guarantees promise speed, but often ignore long-term stewardship.

In our own firm, we avoided debt entirely in the first year. We knew the margins were tight, the model was untested, and our tolerance for risk was limited by our obligations to our households. That decision forced us to grow slower—but more carefully.

That said, we have also seen businesses use debt responsibly to purchase equipment, meet inventory demand, or seize time-sensitive opportunities. In each of those cases, what mattered was not the debt itself, but the clarity of the repayment plan and the impact on household stability.

We do not tell clients “never borrow.” We tell them: count the cost, secure the terms, and refuse to presume upon the future (James 4:13–15).

Bootstrapping: The Slow Road Is Often the Safe One

Bootstrapping refers to launching with minimal external funding, using personal savings, early sales, or revenue reinvestment to grow.

This model is not for everyone. It demands lean operations, delayed gratification, and relentless prioritization. But in our experience, it also produces more thoughtful systems, deeper market knowledge, and far less financial stress.

We sell intangibles via brokerage, an incredibly niche way to do business, but it did mean we could effectively start for free (minus the cost of getting licensed). The commissions in the beginning were smaller and less frequent than they are today, but we were quickly able to use profits to fund infrastructure, legal protection, and marketing. It took longer than if we had borrowed to accelerate the process—but we slept better.

The real danger in bootstrapping is not slowness but scarcity-thinking. At some point, failing to borrow becomes self-sabotage. The goal is not to hoard pennies, but to steward dollars. A wise builder knows when to spend and when to borrow. I will say that the time to borrow is very rarely at the very beginning of your very first venture.

Family, Friends, and Church Capital: Proceed with Covenant Clarity

Borrowing from those close to you carries great risk. The informal nature of the relationship can obscure the seriousness of the transaction—and unspoken expectations can fracture even godly households.

Still, in our experience, many Christian entrepreneurs have launched with small amounts of family or church support under carefully written agreements. When handled lawfully, clearly, and with mutual honor, this model can be a beautiful example of community-backed dominion. If you are going to serve someone through debt, they might as well be Christian individuals instead of pagan institutions.

Here are principles we recommend:

• Always write it down. Even if it’s your cousin or elder. Details honor both parties.

  
  

• Set terms up front. Is it a loan? A gift? A revenue share? A tithe-advance? Be specific.

  
  

• Avoid equity if possible. Shared ownership in closely held companies often leads to confusion, unless everyone involved has equal clarity on mission and exit strategies.

As a rule, refrain from taking money from anyone you could not disappoint in love. If the relationship could not survive business failure, do not invite it into business success.

Grants and Crowdfunding: Free Isn’t Always Free

Some industries—especially in the trades, minority-owned startups, or rural development zones—offer grants through chambers of commerce, state governments, or philanthropic organizations. These can be lawful and wise sources of capital if the application process aligns with your values.

We advise reviewing:

• Whether the source of funds compromises your theological commitments.

  
  

• Whether the reporting requirements consume more time than the grant is worth.

  
  

• Whether your identity is being leveraged in ways that violate your convictions (e.g., DEI compliance, ESG metrics).

Crowdfunding, likewise, can be helpful for product launches or missional ventures. But it carries the risk of overpromising. Remember: raising $30,000 from strangers online is not free money. It is a large group of customers expecting results.

The Proverbs warn repeatedly against the sin of making rash vows. When you accept money, whether from the state or the crowd, you are vowing to deliver. Fail in that, and you bear guilt.

Equity Investment: Selling Shares without Selling Control

We do not typically recommend equity-based fundraising for early-stage Christian entrepreneurs unless they are in a capital-intensive industry (e.g., manufacturing, tech, etc.) with a scalable model. Too often, young businesses sell large ownership stakes for short-term capital, only to realize they have given up covenantal control.

When equity investment is on the table, ask:

• Does this partner share my theological vision?

  
  

• Can I legally retain majority voting control?

  
  

• What exit strategy is assumed? (Many investors expect sale or IPO.)

  
  

• What rights are being granted beyond financial interest?

In our consulting practice, we have seen kingdom-minded businesses compromised because they took money from people who did not share their view of faith, ethics, or time horizon.

You are not merely selling shares. You are inviting someone into spiritual, operational, and financial influence over your work. That is a weighty matter. Do not be unequally yoked.

Know the Difference Between Investment and Indulgence

One final word: many “capital needs” are nothing more than indulgences in disguise. A $15,000 logo is not a need. A $12,000 custom website before your first sale is not a strategy—it’s a fantasy. Your office space does not need to impress your peers. It needs to serve your mission. We have a $200 logo, a website we built ourselves, and we all work from home. You can often get by with way less than you want.

Funding is not about ego or aesthetics. It is about extending your reach, serving your customer, and glorifying Christ with excellence. If the money enables that, use it. If it covers up a lack of planning, humility, or grit, you are simply borrowing trouble.

E. Building for Longevity and Legacy

The world builds for the exit. Christians build for inheritance.

In the modern entrepreneurial ecosystem, the dominant question is, “How fast can I scale and sell?” But Scripture asks a different one: “What are you leaving behind?” Proverbs 13:22 reminds us that “a good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” That inheritance includes more than money. It includes systems, principles, wisdom, relationships, and productive assets that transcend one lifetime.

If your business cannot survive without you, then you have built a job, not an enterprise. Dominion requires more. It requires foresight, process, and transferability.

Systems, Not Just Sweat

Early-stage businesses often thrive on hustle. That is understandable since you have time to throw at the venture, but hustle has a ceiling. No one can outwork entropy, and no household should suffer simply because the business has no rhythm apart from its founder.

Faithful dominion requires repeatable systems. It turns best guesses into best practices, and accidental success into dependable execution.

We began documenting every client-facing process from day one. We used shared Google Docs and discussed areas of improvement every week to create basic Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Later, we refined them into internal training modules and process automation.

We recommend starting with SOPs for:

• Onboarding new clients or customers

  
  

• Handling customer support or service issues

  
  

• Fulfilling a product or delivering a service

  
  

• Managing invoicing, payment, and follow-up

  
  

• Tracking leads or referrals

Systems are not a lack of faith. They are the fruit of wise stewardship.

Remember the feeding of the five thousand? Christ did not just multiply the loaves. He made the people sit in groups and had the disciples distribute the food (Mark 6:39–41). Even some miracles followed a process.

Delegation: Releasing Without Abdicating

Delegation is not about doing less. It is about freeing up your time for doing what only you can do. Every task you retain unnecessarily is a task that someone else could steward.

When we began bringing on more agents, our first mistake was under-delegating. Justin and I did nearly everything ourselves. We did make some mistakes later delegating things we apparently ought not to have. In both cases, the solution was the same: clarity on who can and should handle what.

Here is what we now recommend:

• Delegate outcomes, not tasks. Tell your team what success looks like, not just what to do. They have brains, and their own unique talents. Let them use them.

  
  

• Train in both skill and culture. A competent hire with no shared values is actually a liability.

  
  

• Evaluate regularly. The goal is not to micromanage, but to steward and correct with love.

Paul discipled Timothy, not just as a helper but as a successor. Your team should be equipped to act in your absence—not to eliminate your role, but to extend your reach, and to allow you to take some much needed time off every once in a while.

Faithful delegation is not abdication. It is multiplication.

Ownership Transfer: Build with Sons in Mind

Whether literal sons or spiritual heirs, your business should be transferable. That does not happen by accident. Legacy planning is not something you do in retirement. It is something you bake in from the beginning.

Ask:

• Can this business function without me for a week? A month? A quarter?

  
  

• Are there written processes, permissions, and access logs for key roles?

  
  

• Have I named a successor, or outlined the criteria for one?

  
  

• Would my wife and children know what to do if I died tomorrow?

I have advised clients to draft a simple “business continuation memo” once their business begins to generate consistent income. Later, this can be formalized through operating agreements, buy-sell contracts, and estate planning documents.

What worked for us was integrating our business succession into our broader estate plans and using life insurance to fund continuity. The goal was not just to protect revenue, but to ensure that clients, staff, and our families would not be left in confusion or crisis.

You may not know who will carry the torch yet. But if you do not plan to pass it, you are planning to drop it. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Mission Drift: Fighting Entropy with Principle

Businesses rarely collapse overnight. They drift. A small compromise here, a diluted mission there, and within five years, the original purpose can be unrecognizable.

Combatting this drift requires:

• A written mission statement grounded in Scripture

  
  

• Regular review of core values with your team

  
  

• Refusal to partner, pivot, or profit in ways that violate your calling

In our firm, we revisit our mission and values quarterly, and our goals weekly. Not because they change—but because we do. Our own priorities are prone to shift with seasons, pressure, or fatigue. Reviewing what we wrote in moments of clarity helps anchor us when storms arrive.

The enemy of your business is not always a competitor. Sometimes it is your own forgetfulness and apathy. Principles, revisited often, are a safeguard against slow apostasy.

Multi-Generational Thinking Is Not Optional

Scripture presents legacy thinking as normative, not exceptional. Abraham was promised a nation. David made preparations for Solomon’s temple. Paul told Timothy to entrust his teaching to faithful men, who would teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).

Your business is not exempt from this pattern. You are not just solving a problem. You are establishing patterns—of order, of service, of sacrifice. What you normalize now will be magnified later.

We have seen this in our clients whose children grew up watching faith-fueled entrepreneurship. Those children now speak the language of dominion. They understand risk, provision, planning, and service. Not just because they read a lot of books, but because they watched their parents build under Christ’s lordship.

Do it right and your great-great-grandchildren will not only know your name, they will still be capitalizing on what you built for them.

F. Common Traps and How to Avoid Them

Even a righteous venture can be derailed by folly. Scripture does not merely teach us how to build—it warns us how we might fall. The Book of Proverbs is not filled with blueprints but pitfalls. Wisdom consists, at least in part, in recognizing what might ruin an otherwise lawful and promising endeavor.

This section identifies common traps we have encountered personally, observed in others, and warned our clients against. These are not merely tactical errors. They are patterns of unfaithfulness that, left uncorrected, rot the foundation from within.

Isolation: The Lone Wolf Starves First

Business can be lonely, but it should never be isolated. Satan loves lone builders, because he knows that apart from godly counsel, even strong men make foolish decisions.

Scripture makes the point repeatedly:

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14).

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

We tell every Christian entrepreneur: assemble our council before you build your company. You need advisors, pastors, peers, and men who will wound you in love when you are drifting. You are not the exception. Isolation will kill you slowly, and kill your business swiftly.

Overwork: The Sin of Functional Atheism

Many Reformed men idolize diligence. But we must remember: overwork is not diligence. It is faithlessness.

To work without rest is to say—whether you admit it or not—“If I stop, the world stops. If I sleep, it fails.” That is not dominion. That is blasphemy.

God created the Sabbath not because He was tired, but for us. He rested as a model, not a necessity (Genesis 2:2–3). He commands His people to rest, not merely as a personal wellness strategy, but a covenantal rhythm of trust.

In our experience, business burnout is rarely caused purely by the volume of work. It is caused by the absence of boundaries. The phone that never turns off. The clients that becomes your master. The metric that becomes your identity.

We schedule sabbath rest into our workflow. One day in seven. A few evening per week with no work talk. One vacation per year to just get away from it all, and prove that the business does not need us as much as we like to think it does.

Your business will not collapse if you obey God’s command to rest, but it may collapse if you don’t.

Greed in Disguise: When Growth Becomes God

Not all ambition is righteous. The world celebrates scale for its own sake. But the Kingdom measures success by faithfulness, not headcount or revenue.

In consulting calls, we often ask entrepreneurs: “Why do you want to grow?” The answers often reveal deeper issues:

“Because I’m tired of small.” (So what?)

“Because others are growing faster.” (Envy.)

“Because I want to prove something.” (Pride.)

“Because I’m bored.” (Discontent.)

There are good reasons to grow: to serve more people, employ more believers, or reinvest in missions, but growth without purpose is just bloat and chasing it will destroy your focus, your household, and your joy.

In the Parable of the Talents, the master praised the faithful stewards not for the amount they returned, but for the stewardship they exercised with what they were given (Matthew 25:14–30). The one who received five talents and gained five was praised no more than the one who received two and gained two.

Do not despise the small things, and do not worship the large. Ask instead: “Am I doing what God has assigned, with excellence and integrity?” If you are faithful over the little, you will be set over much. If you are excellent in your work, you will serve before kings.

Shiny Object Syndrome: The Temptation to Pivot Without Purpose

The entrepreneurial mind is prone to distraction. Ideas multiply. Trends shift. New tools emerge, and before long, what began as a focused mission becomes a scattered mess of half-built websites and brand “refreshes.”

In our practice, we’ve seen this mistake more than once—launching side projects before the core business was stable, pursuing partnerships without clear alignment, or chasing technology instead of solving real problems.

What we learned is this: vision without constraint is noise. A focused stream flows faster and reaches its target sooner than a meandering stream.

The solution is a written mission and a quarterly review process. Before adding anything new, ask:

• Does this align with our stated mission?

  
  

• Is our core system strong enough to support this?

  
  

• What will it cost us in focus, time, money, and trust?

Not every good idea is a good idea now or a good idea for you. Patience is not passivity—it is obedience. Knowing when to say no to what sounds like an amazing idea is among the most difficult skills to master for those who began their journey by saying yes to what so many others told them was a bad idea.

Legal and Regulatory Naïveté: Ignorance Is Not an Excuse

We have seen faithful, well-meaning Christians fined, sued, and investigated—not because they were malicious, but because they were careless.

They didn’t know:

• That their business name was already trademarked

  
  

• That they needed a sales tax permit in a neighboring state

  
  

• That their subcontractor was misclassified

  
  

• That GDPR or CCPA laws applied to their client data

  
  

• That their advertising claims bordered on regulatory violations

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities...” (Romans 13:1). The state has no right to regulate doctrine, but it does have jurisdiction over trade, contracts, and civil law.

You cannot glorify God while violating the very authorities He instituted.

We more or less have to commit to legal and compliance audits weekly (we're in an unusually highly regulated industry). That includes reviewing contracts, tax filings, website policies and content, and our social media pages. We built a habit of asking before acting. If in doubt, we call our compliance team, a lawyer or CPA, not necessarily a peer. In your case, forgiveness may be better than permission if you are in an industry that issues an abundance of warnings before fines, but I still would not recommend it.

Faithfulness includes competence. Do not let ignorance masquerade as innocence. "I didn't know" is an admission of guilt, not an excuse.

G. Business as War and Worship

You are not merely launching a business. You are laying siege to a fallen world. Each invoice, proposal, and service rendered is either an act of covenant obedience or rebellion. There is no neutral ground. The Christian entrepreneur is not just a builder—he is a soldier and a priest. He wages war by creating order where there was none, and he worships by presenting the work of his hands to the Lord as a fragrant offering.

If that sounds dramatic, it is only because we have so thoroughly desacralized work. The Reformed tradition has never permitted such dualism. Calvin, in his Commentaries on Genesis, describes work as the “arena in which the glory of God shines.” Kuyper reminds us that Christ claims lordship over every square inch. Scripture itself commands that “whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

You are entering a field that demands more than technical competence. It demands spiritual clarity, covenantal integrity, and a posture of worship.

Business as Battlefield

The marketplace is not an apolitical, value-neutral exchange. It is a warfront for allegiance. Every business must answer basic questions: What is man? What is justice? What is value? Who owns the earth? And what is time for?

Secular businesses answer these questions in terms of utility, autonomy, efficiency, and scale. The Christian must answer them covenantally.

• Man is the image-bearer of God, not a consumer segment.

  
  

• Justice is conformity to God’s law, not market equilibrium.

  
  

• Value is determined by usefulness to God and neighbor, not demand alone.

  
  

• The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it—not a neutral resource.

  
  

• Time is a stewardship of eternal consequence, not a productivity hack.

To run a business is to make claims about reality. The world has its liturgies—HR policies, ESG compliance, DEI checklists, shareholder reports. These are not mere preferences. They are rival religions.

If Christ is not Lord in your business, the world will gladly supply another.

Business as Liturgy

The tasks of business are repetitive. Meetings, metrics, calls, emails, reports, fulfillment. These repetitions can feel mundane—but so can prayer, Scripture reading, or the Lord’s Supper if divorced from meaning.

Repetition does not make something meaningless. It makes it formative.

Your business habits—how you greet a client, how you close a contract, how you respond to conflict—are forming you. They are shaping the way you view God, others, and yourself. They are either conforming you to the world or renewing your mind (Romans 12:2).

Ask yourself:

• Is my workflow producing gratitude or anxiety?

  
  

• Are my customer interactions marked by service or self-protection?

  
  

• Does my team culture reflect the fruits of the Spirit or the works of the flesh?

Worship is not reserved for Sundays. Your P&L is a liturgical document. Your policies are discipleship tools. Your follow-up emails are covenant communication.

If business is war, then your rituals matter.

The Glory of Small Faithfulness

Most businesses will not become franchises. Most Christian entrepreneurs will not go viral. That is not a sign of failure. That is the pattern of Scripture.

Christ describes the Kingdom as yeast, seed, salt, and light. These are small things—unimpressive at first, invisible at times—but powerful in effect over time.

Do not despise the day of small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). Do not measure your worth in likes, clicks, or quarterly growth. Faithfulness is not fragile. It endures storms, slander, and slowness.

What we have seen in our firm is that slow, principled growth produces customers who become advocates, employees who become stewards, and structures that can withstand fatigue. Flashy growth produces attention. Covenant growth produces legacy.

You are not building for likes. You are building for your grandchildren.

The Final Ledger

One day, your business will close. Whether sold, passed on, or buried with you, its balance sheet will end or no longer bear your name. The question is not whether you built something impressive. The question is whether you built something obedient.

Did you serve your clients as image-bearers?

Did you pay your workers justly?

Did you bless your household?

Did you fund the Church?

Did you honor the Lord in secret?

There is no audit more important than the one before the throne.

Let your business be your confession: that Christ is Lord, that work is good, and that dominion belongs to the righteous.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this article is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as legal, tax, insurance, financial, or investment advice. While examples, anecdotes, and personal experiences are shared to illustrate biblical principles and business best practices, readers should not construe these as direct recommendations or guarantees of results.

Any references to business structures, tax strategies, or financial tools (including but not limited to bookkeeping methods, legal entities, and life insurance instruments) reflect the author’s personal experience and are not intended to substitute for professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances. You should consult with qualified professionals—including a licensed attorney, tax advisor, accountant, and financial services provider—before making decisions regarding your business, finances, or legal obligations.

This publication is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or offering products from any financial regulatory authority, nor does it constitute the solicitation or sale of any financial or insurance product.

Use of this material is at your own discretion and risk. The author and affiliated entities disclaim any liability for decisions made based on the content of this article.